


Bruises

by coopbastian



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established ColdFlash, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Olivarry Friendship, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-09
Updated: 2015-12-09
Packaged: 2018-05-05 19:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5387399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coopbastian/pseuds/coopbastian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver notices particularly strange bruises on Barry's neck...the realization is not pleasant for him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bruises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [believesinponds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/believesinponds/gifts).



> previously posted on tumblr for @believesinponds and @youreturningscarletscarlet

“What are those, Allen?”   


Barry glances over at Oliver as he takes a seat across from the older boy, raising an eyebrow in confusion. “Hello to you, too, Oliver.” 

Oliver leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest as his eyes study Barry for a solid minute. 

“Oh my god!” Barry nearly shouts, which makes the students sitting around them in the library turn their heads to look at him. He blushes. “Stop staring, Oliver. _Please_ ,” he adds in a hushed voice. 

“I just didn’t know you were seeing someone,” Oliver tells him, never letting his eyes shift away from Barry. 

Barry gives him an odd look, but he could feel the heat rising into his cheeks. How would Oliver know...? “What’re you talking about?” he asks as he tries his best to put his focus onto his laptop and textbook he just placed in front of him. 

Oliver leans forward, putting his arms on the table as he continues staring at Barry. Why is he always stubborn...and a little weird? 

“The marks on your neck, dummy,” he simply says and Barry looks back at up. 

_Ah, shit--he could see them!_ Blushing fully now, Barry attempts to hide the hickeys by pulling onto the collar of his plaid shirt. He was in such a rush this morning for class that he’s forgotten to put on a scarf, or something.   


“N-no one!” Barry answers in a breathy whisper, knowing that Oliver--his best friend since childhood--would be able to tell he’s lying. Then again, Barry Allen has never been a good liar. “I’m seeing no one,” he insists. “Why would I be seeing someone and not tell you? I swear, if I’m ever dating _anyone_ , you’d be the first person to know. You know that, right? I mean--”

Oliver sighs, gestures for him to stop trying to explain. “Whatever, Bar. I was only asking.” 

Barry’s face flushes. “Then stop staring!” 

“You’ve any idea where Snart is?” Oliver asks him, clearly changing the subject immediately.

“Wh-what? Why would I-I know where Len is? I’m not with him all the time. Seriously, h-how should know?”

It’s Oliver’s turn to raise his eyebrows at the boy, and Barry can’t help but wonder if he knows something. He just has to panic at the worst time, doesn’t he?   


Just then, another man takes a seat right by Barry, his backpack almost slamming on top of the table. Barry’s face is basically a dark shade of red by now. 

“Nice of you to join us, Len,” Oliver says, purposefully not amused. The man always hated Len showing up late to their study sessions, even more so than he hates Barry being late to everything else. 

“Would I ever miss a thrilling study session with you two?” Len says, sarcasm dripping through his words. He sits back in his seat and sets his feet on the table, which earns a glare from Oliver.   


But then Oliver’s glare turns into one of those looks where he starts studying closely at a person, and Barry couldn’t stop himself from following his gaze over to Len and-- _oh...oh no_. 

Len clearly has no concern about _his_ hickeys showing as he shrugs off his leather jacket and lets it hang onto the back of his chair. Barry’s eyes widen and he glances back at Oliver. 

Their eyes meet and that’s when Barry knows his best friend connected the dots. 

“What the _hell?_ ” is all he manages to say before Len starts to snicker. Holy shit, this cannot be happening...

“It’s not what you think it is!” Barry protests, but it’s too late. Oliver is glaring at the both of them, harder than any glare he’s thrown before, and all Barry wants to do is dig a hole and bury himself in it. 

“It’s _exactly_ what you think, Ollie,” Len says, a wicked smirk on his face. “So, are we just going to sit here or are we gonna study? Because I do want some time with Scarlet before class, if you don’t mind.”   


“Don’t call me Scarlet,” Barry pleads, burying his extremely red face--the reason Len gave him the nickname a year ago when they met--into his hands and sinking into his chair, which is the next big thing he could do besides burying himself. 

“That’s not what you were saying last night,” Len says in a low, hushed voice.  


Barry could _feel_ Oliver judging him and it stings. He gathers courage to at least peak through his fingers and he sees Oliver getting up from his seat without another word. 

Barry throws a brief, worried glance at Len before he gets up himself and follows his friend out of the library, stopping him at a corner of the hallway. “Oliver! What are you doing?” 

Oliver adjusts his backpack, giving Barry a familiar look of disappointment and frustration. “I’m getting Felicity to kick both of your asses,” he finally tells him before he continues stomping away. 

Barry closely follows him. “Oh c’mon, Oliver. I meant to tell you about me and Len eventually, I swear! I just...” He grabs onto the older boy’s wrist to stop him again. “I wanted to see how it went, okay? I mean--if you took the time to actually get to know Len instead of just glaring at him all day, you’d know...he’s not _that_ bad.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry--were we supposed to forget that his family is part of some mafia or something? He’s up to something, and if he’s getting close to you, that can could go bad, Barry.   


Barry sighs, knowing how protective his best friend could be. “I considered that, I really did. But...but I think...he actually likes me? I don’t think he’d hurt me, Oliver.” 

At this, Oliver sends him a glare. 

“Look, you don’t have to trust him, but you trust me--right, Ollie?”   


Oliver grumbles at the nickname, but his face softens a bit. “I’m still telling Felicity,” he simply says.   


Barry blushes once again. “Uhm...she, uh, already knows.” 

And that earns him another glare from his best friend, rightfully so, before he storms off and leaves a red-faced Barry.  

* * *

“Teasing Oliver Queen isn’t going to get you anywhere, y’know,” Barry says, his voice breathy and soft.   


“It’s certainly getting me somewhere with you,” Len whispers against the boy’s neck, his own breath cold, which makes Barry shiver rather pleasantly. 

Before he could let Len do anything else, Barry pulled back enough so that they’re making eye contact. “Len, please?” he asks. “Oliver’s my best friend and he seemed pretty hurt that I’ve been hiding this...us. So just...lay off him a bit, yeah?” 

Smiling softly, Len pushes Barry onto the mattress, leaning down to kiss him. Their lips slide together slowly, their bodies pressing up against each other. After what seems like minutes had passed, Len pulls back from the kiss and he grins down at Barry, who’s currently squirming underneath him. 

“Whatever you say, _Scarlet_ ,” he tells him, his voice low and rough that makes Barry grab onto the back of Len’s neck to pull him back in for another kiss, hard and messy this time.   


“Don’t call me Scarlet,” Barry whispers, before he’s flipping them over to be on top of Len, surprising the both of them.   


Len then smirks up at him, his eyes filled with hunger. “Make me.” 

Barry is happy to oblige. 

They’re going to be okay, he thinks. Oliver will get over it, and he’ll be happy for them like Felicity is already, even if he won’t show it much. 

Barry and Len will be okay. 


End file.
